I heard a radio interview this week with a young, healthy man who had learned through a CT scan that his neck was not at all healthy because he spends too much time gazing down at a smartphone screen in the palm of his hand. What followed was something about injured vertebrae and the need for physical therapy.
How many of us can relate?
I can, but it’s not so much my neck that worries me as what happens to the brain during repetitive, long stretches of gazing, scrolling, searching, saving and deleting.
It seems what we need are some analog-world pursuits to counter the screen time.
You might think that I’ve presented this very common problem of how to tame our smartphone habits as a way to write about some of my favorite Hopkinsville places and pastimes — and you would be correct. But stick with me (even if you are reading this article on your phone).
These are my ideas of nine things you can do in Hopkinsville that are better without a smartphone.
The alleyway
Meet a friend, or go solo, for morning coffee or a brown-bag lunch in the alley between the Christian County Courthouse and the Alhambra Theatre. If you haven’t seen this slice of downtown in a few years, you haven’t seen it. The county has really spruced it up. This little gem of a space has comfortable benches. Credit goes to the Pennyroyal Arts Council, which manages the Alhambra, for providing a design for the improved alley and then nudging the county to do the work.
Take a dip in nature
Explore Jeffers Bend Environmental Center at 1170 Metcalfe Lane. This 56-acre site on the north side of town include gardens, a small lake, a bird-viewing hut and wooded, walking trails. It’s been called one of Hopkinsville’s best-kept secrets (that should not be a secret).
Read from a real book
Keep a paperback book in your day bag or in your car. Reach for it instead of the phone at all of those little delays during the day — stuck behind a train, waiting for an appointment, etc.
Start early
Watch the sun rise. This one requires a special plan (for most of us). You’ll need to be up by 6 a.m. this week.
Go to the trail
Walk or ride a bike on the Hopkinsville Greenway System. You can make this as easy or strenuous as you like.
Explore local history
Take a driving tour of Kentucky Historical Society Markers in Christian County.
A circular path
Walk the Grace Episcopal Church labyrinth at Seventh and Liberty streets. Dedicated in 2009, this labyrinth is modeled after The Chartres built around 1201 in the stone floor of Chartres Cathedral in France.
Go higher
Get a new view of downtown from the second-floor patio at the Hopkinsville-Christian County Public Library, 1101 Bethel St. I feel like this is another of those little-known gems in the heart of town. The library is open 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturdays.
See a big screen
I know I said this was a list to reduce screen time, but I didn’t mean all screens. If you haven’t been to The Show Box, Hopkinsville’s five-screen cinema, you ought to check it out soon.
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. Brown was a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era, where she worked for 30 years. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board past president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition. She serves on the Hopkinsville History Foundation's board.
